Local opens ‘unique’ tattoo shop

On Jan. 4, Bourg native and Houma resident Will Leboeuf, a 46-year-old boat captain, opened Cosmo Ink, 6613 W. Park Ave. in Houma.The tattoo artist who encouraged him to create the business is named Will Lebeouf, who has a slight difference in the spelling of his last name.“It’s weird. About five years ago, I was on Facebook and I saw a link that said ‘Do you know Will Lebeouf?’ I laughed and said, ‘Of course I do. That’s my name.’ I clicked on it and it was this guy. So I sent a friend request. Two years later, I saw he wanted to do some tattoos. I chatted him up and went got a tattoo,” Leboeuf said.Since then, Leboeuf has gotten five of his 11 tattoos from Lebeouf, a Chauvin native and tattoo artist, who now works in Leboeuf’s shop.Leboeuf said Cosmo Ink, which is open from 2 p.m. to 11 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday, is not your typical tattoo shop.“There are no tattoos out on the walls like at your typical tattoo shop, and there is an art gallery as well,” Leboeuf said. The building is almost divided into two. One side features the tattooing area, and the other side is dedicated to selling pictures and paintings. The reason for this non-traditional setup is to make the customer feel more comfortable, Leboeuf said. “I’ve gone to shops that just felt crammed. It’s a little uncomfortable. I wanted to be sure that anybody who came to the shop feels comfortable and has more room,” he said.Lebeouf has been in the tattooing business for almost 19 years and said he thinks the art gallery adds uniqueness to shop.“We are trying to promote local artists to come in and showcase their work,” he said. “We are all about the art of any kind. It gives us a really cool place to work in as far as a variety of images we see every day. It also influences our styles subconsciously,” he said.Lebeouf and Slidell native David Steelmen are the tattoo artists in the shop. Lebeouf’s financee, Kayla Jeans, who played a big part in getting the shop ready, runs the front counter, handling the customers, selling body jewelry and making stencils for each tattoo.“Everything is hand drawn,” Lebeouf said. “We are pretty much well-versed at the shop. Sometimes we will use Photoshop just to show customers the placement of things.”

Staff Writer Sable LeFrere can be reached at 857-2204 or at sable.lefrere@houmatoday.com.